Madison Keys will take on Aryna Sabalenka in the Semifinals of the US Open. Their meeting at Wimbledon was lopsided, but Keys plays her best tennis here in New York, so I'm expecting a battle.
PREVIEW | 2023 US Open WTA Semi-Final Keys v Sabalenka: Will new World No.1 break recent Grand Slam hoodoo?
Tennis NewsThursday, 07 September 2023 at 12:18
The semi-finals of the US Open get underway today, Thursday, September 7, with WTA stars Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys set to face each other on Arthur Ashe in our second preview.
Second-seed Sabalenka will be aiming for her second major title after winning the Australian Open earlier this year, while seventeenth-seed Keys will be aiming to do one better than her success at the US Open final in 2017, where she finished as runner-up to Sloane Stephens.
However, in order to do this they need to reach the final, which means facing off against each other. This is Sabalenka's third semi-final in a row at the US Open and as the new World No. 1 she will be hoping to prove her dominance by making her maiden final at Flushing Meadows.
Meanwhile, this is Keys' first time in the semi-finals at the New York major since 2018, and she won't want it to end in a defeat.
Sabalenka leads head-to-head
The Belarusian leads the head-to-head with Keys 2-1. Sabalenka won their most recent match in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, ousting the American in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.
Moreover, the 25-year-old has defeated Keys on hard courts before, albeit five years ago at the 2018 Cincinnati Open, where she also won in straight sets.
Keys' one victory against Sabalenka was at the Grass Court Championships Berlin in 2021, where she came back across three sets to take the win 6-4, 1-6, 7-5. This suggests that if Keys does win the match, it will come after a hard-fought battle.
A fight between two powerhouses
Both players are known for their relentlessly powerful shots and aggressive play. However, while Keys has sometimes found it hard to control her game at times in the past, she seems to be showing more patience at the US Open which has been subsequently preventing her opponents from breaking her rhythm.
Nevertheless, Sabalenka looks to be very much on form, and is likely to have the edge in terms of power, helping her to get in control of the points early on. From there, she will likely dominate the match.
Prediction: Aryna Sabalenka to win in straight sets.
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